Femme on Fire: Louisa Krause

By
Michael J. LockhartDecember 5, 2012

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In this year’s breakout viral hit of SXSW, our newest woman to watch gets into some crazy voyeuristic shenanigans in the iPhone-filmed YouTube exposé comedy King Kelly as the titular chat room pornstar, whose untamed escapades one Independence Day become an unforgettably sexy and debaucherous night.

Following her breakout role in last year’s crowd-pleaser (and tongue-twister) Martha Marcy May Marlene, this week’s Femme on Fire, the fierce Louisa Krause, reminds us of the rampant dangers of online sharing, how to please your audience and how to misconstrue a microphone.

Playboy.com: Hey, Louisa! Or should we say “King Kelly”?

Krause: [Laughs] Louisa, Louisa please! If I was King Kelly I’d be doing this in a robe, filming myself while talking to you.

*Playboy.com: *Let’s talk about that naughty web chat opening scene.

Krause: We did a few takes of it. I had to warm up into it, if you know what I mean. I had fun; I drew myself into it, balls to the wall. The character had to ring true to the Kelly spirit and go all out. She’s just a feast-your-eyes kind of gal and knows how to use her talents to get what she wants. She’s a cam girl and proud of it! I admire her spirit and strength and still filming herself at the end of the film, even though she’s lost in this persona.

Playboy.com: What did your parents think?

Krause: They loved it; they thought it was so funny. Initially when I told them, there were some tears, but I explained to them the meaning of this film, and it is this commentary on today’s world, who are we in this “me generation.” It’s also a comment on American decadence and raunchiness and the lines of the internet that get blurred. They were supportive. But I had to tell [my dad] each moment he couldn’t watch. But Kelly’s really the spirit of [South Park’s] Cartman, the female version of him. [laughs]

Playboy.com: What was it like filming an entire film on an iPhone?

*Krause: *It was so real! It was like watching the film was shooting it. They also built a cool contraption so the iPhone was supplemented by a little Canon Elph camera. The camera was like an extension of my character. I know I’ll never have this kind of experience again; there’s nothing like it.

Playboy.com: Speaking of oversharing online, would you say young Hollywood shares too much: nude scandals, Twitter rants and so on?

Krause: It’s a mess; it’s great because it connects people. But it’s an addictive thing—they need a proper name for it—but it’s a sort of instant gratification. That’s life; you just need to be aware of certain consequences that could happen as a result.

Playboy.com: How did you prepare for the role?

Krause: I was directed to a website—a cam girl site—to look at. There was this girl…with a tail, and she was playing with her tail…it was crazy. [laughs] I had to open myself up to that. Kelly’s like, “I’m hot, I can walk around in my underwear,” and I don’t like to walk around in my underwear…but really, who are these cam girls? What are they projecting? It was fun to play a part that’s playing everyone else; she’s the ultimate player. She’s smart, she works it.

Playboy.com: The film made some waves at SXSW. What were some of the reactions?

Krause: They loved it. It’s shocking, sexy and funny.

Playboy.com: Lightning round. What’s your favorite:

City: New York.

Drink: Dirty Martini.

*Food: *All food…I love to devour.

Shot: It’s from Estonia. It’s called Vana Tallinn.

Guilty Pleasure: TMZ, oh my god.

Secret Talent: I can name all the Presidents.

Dream Ride: Mercedes CLK…it’s my flavor of the month!

Embarrassing Moment: This is hilarious. For King Kelly I went into my bedroom, and it’s the day I’m shooting my first scene. I see on my nightstand “Oh, awesome, they gave me a microphone prop! I’m going to sing ‘Girls on Top,’ which is naturally King Kelly’s favorite song.” But then they said to me, “Uh, no. That’s your vibrator…” As a present I got to keep it.

Krause: I’ve got Gabriel [with Rory Culkin], Bluebird—a film I did last winter—that’s going to be starting up the festival circuit. John Slattery and Margo Martindale are in it. It’s about this small town in Maine and a school bus driver accidentally locks one of the students in their bus overnight, and the repercussions of that accident on the town. I play the child’s young mom. Then there’s You Can’t Win; I’m the lead opposite Michael Pitt where he plays Jack Black, [based off a book] Jack Black wrote about the Jack Black of the 1890s. He’s this underworld-dweller—beast—in and out of prison. It was hot. I’m Irish in it; it was steamy.

Playboy.com: What was your first Playboy?

Krause: Oh my god, what does that mean? [laughs] Oh wait, the magazine! I think I saw Lindsay Lohan’s photos—they were top secret at the time.

King Kelly is in select theaters now, and on VOD everywhere. Follow Louisa on Twitter @LousiaNKrause or Kelly herself at @RealKingKelly.